Tail trim tab

Bending the trim tab skin:

The first picture show the ordering of the bends. Begin with the right bending and go to the left to bend the 4 bending flanges required for these piece. If not following this order will lead you in a dead end for bending the last flanges. The two pieces showed there are the same.

Two bends are required to do the U form for each end. The bends flanges are 6mm radius for a thickness of 12 mm total. The bend must be finished by hand in the table grip press tool.

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Final results with the support channels. I think, it is technically speaking the more difficult piece to bend.

The trim tab must have 130mm wide with an +- 4mm. Finished at 131.5 mm, and 12.25 in thickness (12mm specified) not bad.

The last photographie, on the far right side column show where the trims go on the tail.

Tail Nose Ribs

Tail and nose ribs shows on right rows. On the first photography, you can see the rib dies in press wood with nose rib aluminum foil ready to form. See page The rib pressing techniques to have more detail on forming bloc technique. You can see the final result on the photography "tail_nose_rib_6.jpg.

On the nose rib photographies (tail_nose_rib_4.jpg) you can see un custom tool for making the flanges on the ribs before flanging the pieces like show on photo tail_nose_rib_2.jpg. The template serve the purpose to draw the form of the nose rib to accelerate the process of marking the aluminum for cutting.

Tail horn and brakets

All brakets and hinges of the tail. Cut with a air saw tool from .125 thousan of an inch. The tail horn show alone at right.  

The spar is around 3 meter long. Special bending technique required to bend with increment of 10 degrees, on a left and right alternance bending.

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The plan specified to use 5 rivets (A5 - 5/32) for assembly of the tail brackets. After following forums discussions about the fact to put rivets on those brackets who endures many shock during flying manoeuvres, I decided to replace two rivets/brackets by AN3H4A or AN3H5A bolts and by Aviation Anchors nuts (3/32). I decided to apply this changes to the future to all brackets when required or applicable. Some other builders said they have to change some rivets after 3-4 years of utilization of their planes. Costs time more than money. The two bolts afre finally wired together with aviation steel wiring. See the photo tail_assbl_spar_3 & 4.

The white steel bar that you seen on many photography's is a jig who is providing accurate straight assembly.

Nose Ribs, Nose Skins and Trim assembly (cond't)